Always Angry
by QueenOfTheFlame
Summary: "That's my secret Captain: I'm always angry." Post Avengers. Bruce/OC. He's filled with anger. Constantly fueled by it. It's what keeps him going. She's from his past. She knows more about him than anyone else. And she's dying. Can they Bruce save her before it's too late - or can he not bring himself to forgive her for her past flaws?
1. Prologue

**_So, just watched Ther Avengers tonight for the first time and I'm pretty much in love with the entire male cast - other than Thor and Captain America, for some reason. So I've already started a Loki/OC fanfiction, so feel free to check that one out... but now I'm starting a Bruce/OC fanfiction. I don't know why but there was something very... nom about the actor who played Bruce in this version. Pretty, damn banging baby. Enjoy._**

**Prologue**

_I've watched him for so long. Known about his for so long. I first heard about him on the news - The Incredible Hulk, they called him. The words 'monster' and 'beast' were also thrown around. I ignored all these words because I knew him first. Before he because this creature, before he was torn in two._

_I've waited such a long time to come out of the shadows, to step forward and tell him who I am. I've simply waited and waited - inside my head I picture it. His reaction._

_Has he missed me?_

_Does he even remember me?_

_Of course he remembers me. It might have been a long time - but it's not been that long. He'll know who I am when I reveal myself to him._

_I just have to hope he'll hear me out. Give me a chance to explain, to tell the truth about it all._

_Maybe he'll listen._

_Maybe he won't._

_But all I know now is that it's time._

_Time I stepped out of the shadows and told him the truth._


	2. Chapter one

I follow carefully, lurking within the shadows. I watch from a distance as I always have… though this time is different – because for once, I'm such a short distance from him. So damn close and yet so far away.

He pauses suddenly and moves as if to turn around – I duck into an alleyway, out of his sight. I let out a soft breath and wait several seconds before peering cautiously around the corner.

He stands a few inches away and I gasp, jerking backwards a step. Before I can say or do anything, I'm suddenly shoved and pinned to the cold, hard brick wall. His arm presses across my exposed throat and his other hand pins both of mine into the wall at my side. His are hard on mine, his familiar features slightly shrouded by the darkness.

"Who are you and why have you been following me?" He asks, voice quiet but forceful.

When I don't answer right away, his arm presses slightly harder into my throat and I find myself moving onto the balls of my feet as I try to relieve some of the pressure.

"What's the matter Brucie? Don't remember little old me?" I taunt lightly.

He stiffens at the sound of my voice and for a moment the silence hangs heavily between us.

"Ria?" He questions, his voice basking in disbelief.

I easily jerk out of his grip, dancing around him lightly so that before he can even whip around to follow my movements I have both his arms pulled up and twisted so that his face presses against the brick wall.

"My name... is Valeria - or as I'm more well known nowadays... Hacker." I mutter, my lips near his ear.

He gives a slight jerk but I don't let up - he doesn't fight me anymore. "You shouldn't be here."

"And why not?"

"It's taken me a long time to not lose it when I think about you. I can't control him when you're right here, right now."

I hesitate for a second, a sudden flare of excitement coursing through me. I jerk him around, dropping his arms and push him back against the wall. His eyes are shut tightly, hands tightening into fists as his chest heaves, his breath harsh.

With a slightly crooked grin, I grasp at the material of his shirt and rip it open to reveal his tanned and hairy chest. The chest of a real man. I lick my lips slightly as his eyes open and snap towards mine, already burning a bright, violent green as he lets out a small gasp.

I run my hands up and down his chest, trailing my nails across the warmth of his skin, watching the way he shifts breathlessly beneath my touch. He let's out a strained gasp.

"Breathe Bruce." I command.

His skin is beginning to turn a light green and I can feel his muscles contorting and convulsing beneath my hands. I keep both hands placed over his chest as I lean forward, my lips hovering over his.

"Just, breathe Brucie. Remain... calm." I murmur softly, allowing my power to seep through the words.

His lips tremble slightly as he lets out a shuddering breath that warms my lips. But as I watch, sanity returns to those burning eyes of his. His jerking and quivering subsides and his skin returns to it's naturally sun-kissed colour.

Those hypnotising eyes fixate on mine, wide with confusion as shock as his chest heaves. "How?"

I shrug lightly, finding my eyes more than a little drawn to his lips which remain an inch from mine. "I learned a few things over the years."

His eyes flicker down to my own lips and I see this as a good sign - but he doesn't act on whatever he's thinking of doing because he just swallows. His hands suddenly rest on my shoulders and he pushes me back a step. I sigh and try to hide my disappointment.

"Why don't you explain these things to me?" He asks, chest still heaving slightly.

With a small sigh, I slowly begin to button up his shirt. He doesn't move to stop me, but he does watch me darkly. "I didn't come here to answer questions about party tricks Bruce."

"Then why are you here Ria?" He questions.

"Valeria." I correct instantly. "I'm actually here for your help."

I finish buttoning his shirt up and ignore the few that had been ripped off. Instead I tweak the collar slightly before reaching my hand up to brush my fingers along his jaw.

He catches my hand, eyes narrowed suspiciously as he scoffs lightly. "And why do you need my help?"

I pull my hand out of the comforting warmth of his and place both hands on my hips, giving a slight shrug. "Maybe because you're the only person that can help me."

"And why should I? After everything you put me through?"

I hesitate and bite my lip. I wasn't going to tell him. Not so soon. Guess I don't have a choice - not if I want his help.

"Because I'm dying Bruce." I say simply, my eyes moving up to meet his once more.

He's shocked to say the least. His eyes growing wide, his mouth dropping open. He wasn't expecting this.

"How do I know you're not lying?" He questions hoarsely.

I shrug. "You don't know. Not just yet anyway. I am entering the final stages however - so it's likely you'll see a change in me soon."

"Ria..."

"Valeria." I almost bark the word, my voice sharp. "Valeria. Not Ria."

He hesitates, clearly fighting with himself for a seemingly endless moment. Finally he answers after what seems to be an age.

"What do you need me for?"


	3. Chapter two

**_Chapter one - Raven P.O.V_**

"So are you going to explain to me what's wrong with you or are you just going to keep dodging my questions?" Bruce asks, pushing the little button at the side of the chair so that it springs upright.

"All your questions will be answered soon enough." I shrug.

"Oh yeah, once we reach Britain." He scoffs. "Why do we have to go there exactly?"

"Because the man we need to see lives there."

"And who is this man?"

"Does it matter?" I snap, more than a little annoyed by his constant flow of questions. "Seriously, you'll find out once we get there."

In all honesty, I might have had a long time to perfect the answers to his questions, but I still feel queasy at the thought of telling him the whole truth of my hideous past.

I bite the inside of my mouth and struggle to take in a gulp of air. I don't look at him. I can see him just out of the corner of my eyes.

He refused alcohol, said it made the 'other guy' more prone to come out. Instead his glass is filled with pure orange juice and he sips it slowly, eyeing up the jet.

It's private of course. My connections, thankfully, still remain the same. It didn't cost a dime to get this thing up into the air for a quick ride back to England.

"So what's England like?" He questions curiously.

"Dull." I mutter.

"Really?"

"Yes. So just shut up and enjoy the ride." I growl before standing.

I just need to get away from him, his presence is making me feel more than a little uneasy and the questions he's asking is making me nervous.

I don't get far, because suddenly he's right in front of me, blocking my path. His sudden close proximity makes me flinch and I move to back up but he wraps a hand around my wrist firmly and refuses to let me go.

"Why don't you answer my questions now? What's so important about waiting till we reach England?" He asks quietly but forcefully.

My eyes search his as I struggle to come up with an adequate answer. "There's no reason… I'd just… prefer it."

He seems to notice the uneasy look in my eyes because his narrow suddenly before a spark shows through. "Oh, I see."

"What?" I ask, eyes wide suddenly.

"You still hate flying." He states simply, a small crooked smile playing across his lips.

I jerk out of his grip with a deadly glare before whirling around to stalk back to my chair.

"No, no, wait…" His hand is around my wrist once more and he pulls me back around.

"What?" I bark, yanking my wrist out of his grip.

"C'mon, answer at least one of my questions."

"Just one?" I ask suspiciously.

"Just one."

I find a smile playing across my lips as I suddenly find myself thinking of a way this could work. Now it is him who looks suspicious.

"I will answer any question and I will tell you the truth… in exchange for a something I want."

"Which is what?" His eyes narrow.

"Could be anything. Guess you'll find out when I ask for it. Done deal?" I grin.

He hesitates, rubbing his hands together almost anxiously until finally he gives a sharp nod.

"Fine."

"So what's your question?"

"Why'd you do it?" He asks quietly, eyes on mine.

The smile slips off my face and hits the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces. I swallow nervously and remove my eyes from his.

"That's more than one question." I murmur, knowing exactly what he's talking about.

"No it's not. It's one question, so answer it." He demands softly.

"It ties in. To everything. If I was going to explain why I did it, you'd have no other questions. Pick something else to ask." I bark roughly, my voice coming out hoarse.

He hesitates and I glance up to find him watching me curiously, something flickering in his eyes, something I can't catch quick enough before it's gone.

"Fine," he sighs. "I'll ask this then… did it mean anything?"

I turn away from him and throw myself into the chair, refusing to meet his eyes as I stare out of the flickering window.

"Yes." I reply simply.

"You call that an answer?" He mutters, sitting himself opposite me.

I clench my teeth, my jaw jutting out slightly. "You always meant something to me Bruce. Always. That part was never fake."

I can feel his eyes pinned onto the side of my face but I don't even so much as glance at him. I hate – no, I loathe – talking about my feelings. It makes me feel like some kind of idiot.

"Then why did you do it?" He asks, his voice low and husky.

I turn to him finally with a wicked grin. "You got your question Banner. Now, you wait until we reach England, okay?"

He frowns slightly before his lips pull downwards slightly as he nods. "Fine."

He sits back without another word and I can almost feel myself slumping with relief. I tilt my head back and close my eyes, trying to ignore the tiny jumps and bumps of the jet as it zips smoothly through the air.


	4. Chapter three

**_Chapter three_**

"So is this where you've been living? London?" Bruce asks as he glances around the private landing pad.

"Pretty much." I shrug.

"I wondered what was wrong with your accent. You've gone back to being all… posh." He smiles crookedly.

I roll my eyes. "Posh? Seriously? Is that the best way you can describe it?"

He shrugs. "Snobbish? Stuck-up? Bitchy?"

I sigh. "I think I prefer posh."

"I thought as much. So do my questions get answered right away?" He raises an eyebrow.

"In time they will. Be patient."

"And how long will I have to stay here?"

"You don't have to do anything." I mutter. "I asked you to come here. You agreed. I'm not forcing you to stay."

"In a way, you kind of are."

"How?"

"Like I could say no to you when you drop the big bomb about you supposedly 'dying' – if it's even true."

I find my spine stiffening as I turn towards him with a glare. "I may be many things Bruce, but I am not a liar."

"Show me proof then. Answer some of my questions."

I open my mouth to shut him down when suddenly his eyes shoot open with surprise before he collapses in a heap.

"Bruce?" I gasp before taking a step back, away from him with wide eyes darting around.

I see nothing, not straight away – not until something hits me. I gasp in shock, not feeling the pain at first until I glance down and find a god damn arrow sticking out of my side. I stumble back a step, noticing a small piece of white paper attached to the arrow.

With trembling hands, I rip the note away.

_This is just a warning. Don't do what I know you're thinking of. It will come back and bite you in the ass. Big time._

I scrunch the letter up with a gasp of pain. It hurts so damn much. I look down at the arrow. It sits, buried deep, just above my hip.

My mind is suddenly fuzzy as I struggle to remember what I'm supposed to do. I just want it out – the pain is making me coherent.

My eyes dart up when I hear a low groan. Bruce pulls himself up to his feet slowly.

"Damn, someone hit me in the head with something hard." He mutters. "What ha… are you okay?!"

His eyes are drawn to the arrow and the blood. I open my mouth to say yes but suddenly, my legs seem to fold from beneath me.

He somehow manages to catch me before I can hit the floor. He lowers me gently, eyes wide and worried.

"Damn, what the hell happened?" He asks urgently.

"Arrow." I gasp out, my voice strained.

"I can see that… why?"

"It doesn't matter. I just… I just… need it out." I say quietly.

"I think I know how to do this." He mutters.

His hands move me gently onto my side and I let out a small gasp of pain. He snaps the arrow head off in one clean movement.

"You ready?" He asks softly, eyes concerned.

"Just do it." I order, my voice trembling.

He jerks the arrow through in one quick movement and I can't help my short scream as the pain rips through my body and blinds me momentarily.

He discards it to the side and tries to help me up slightly.

"What do I do? I don't know what to do?" He asks urgently, his voice low.

"Help me to my feet." I order him softly.

He complies but I can see the way that he's looking at me – his chest heaving slightly as he struggles to control his emotions.

"Now, we need to go three floors down. There's a girl that works here. She has the ability to heal."

"How many other people are here with abilities?" He asks as we make our way into the building.

"Just a few. This building was abandoned when we came to it. It's where we hide out."

"Why?"

"Because we have to." I mutter.

"But –"

"I am really not in the mood to answer questions Bruce!" I bark angrily as we begin to make the torturous down the stairs.

"Sorry." He sighs. "How're you holding up?"

"It… hurts." I growl through gritted teeth.

I lean heavily on him, my entire weight almost resting on him and I marvel at his strength. It's not that I'm heavy – I keep myself strictly in shape. But he still moves easily.

We reach the door leading to the main room within a matter of minutes – minutes that seem to have lasted an eternity.

"Knock." I order Bruce.

He does and the sound echoes around us.

"Who's there?" A voice barks.

"Zeke, it's me. Open up." I call huskily.

"Who's with you?"

"Bruce. I got him. Open up. Now and get Leilana. I'm hurt."

The door opens to reveal Zeke. He stands short and stout with a slightly narrow face and shifty eyes.

"Come in, quick. Leilana's in the other room."

Bruce helps me into the other room where Leilana sits. She looks, as always, completely out of place. Long, curling blonde hair and big blue eyes. Her fair skin is almost translucent.

Bruce helps me sit as she moves over to where I am, greeting both of us softly. She then tells Bruce he has to go.

"No way, I'm staying here." He says firmly.

"I need silence. Once I begin the healing process I become aware of all those around me. I can feel your stress and concern already – I need you gone." She states simply.

He looks towards where I lie across the bed. His brow is pinched, eyes swimming with worry.

"It's fine." I grind out with some difficulty.

With a swift nod and a soft thank you towards Leilana, he leaves. All I can hope is that he doesn't go far.


	5. Chapter four

**_Chapter four_**

There's something pleasant and sweet about my sleep, something that makes me want to keep my eyes shut. It's something quiet and peaceful... and when I open my eyes, I find a familiar pair watching me closely. I'm aware of warm, lean fingers brushing hair back from my face. I give him my best reassuring smile but he just continues to frown. The relief in his eyes is almost blinding.

"Hey..." He murmurs softly, the padding of his thumb brushing back and forth across my cheek.

"Hey." I reply, my voice sounding strained. His warm touch has my eyes fluttering shut momentarily as I struggle to ignore the weakness in my knees.

"Leilanna was worried about you."

"And you weren't?" I question lightly, sitting upright with some difficulty. I feel more than a little groggy.

His hand drops from my face and lands on the bed as he lets out a soft sigh. "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap." I laugh hoarsely, noticing his lack of response to my question. "How long was I out?"

"Just an hour or so." He shrugs.

"Longest 'hour or so' of your life, right?" I grin.

He gives a small crooked smile but it vanishes too quickly for my liking. "Are you finally going to explain? Answer my questions?"

Before I can open my mouth to have a little rant at him for questioning me moments after waking, Leilanna suddenly appears. She narrows her eyes at Bruce slightly.

"I thought I told you to stay in your room."

He shrugs, refusing to look at me, but instead focusing on me. "I wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Well she is, so why don't you just -"

"Lee, it's fine." I shake my head in her direction. "I feel better, honestly. It was just one stupid arrow. A warning."

She notices the heavy emphasis on the word 'warning' and frowns, brow pinched anxiously. Unfortunately, Bruce notices it as well. Before he can open his mouth to complain about information being withheld from him, talking.

"Lee, gather the others. I think it's time Doctor Banner's questions were answered."


	6. Chapter five

Chapter five

"First, I would like to introduce everyone to Bruce Banner - also known as The Incredible Hulk," I say, gesturing to him.

He sits to my right of the table. There are eight people in the room, including myself and Bruce. They all give nods of acknowledgement.

"Bruce, this is my team. You've already met Leilanna - she has the ability to heal. Gale's capable of controlling air - which means that she can also fly. Chambers is a level two telekinetic. Fade can become invisible in a split-second. Shift can shape-shift - unfortunately he can only change into animals but it still comes in handy. We have a teleporter - Portal, and she can teleport anywhere within a twenty mile-radius. You've met Zeke and... well, the only other one you have yet to meet is sleeping."

"Sleeping?" He raises an eyebrow.

I give a dismissive wave of the hand and give a firm shake of the head. "I know you've been asking a lot of questions - not just lately, but for a long time now. And I feel that everything I have to say is... a lot. More than a lot. So, we'll start with why you're here."

He gives a small nod, eyes bright with interest.

"The whole reason... the things that happened in our past, happened... was because of one person. His name is Viktor Andrews."

Even just uttering his word seems to send a shiver around the room. Bruce's brow pinches in response.

"Viktor is... a very powerful mutant. He's a telepath unlike anything anyone has seen before - his abilities far surpass that of Charles Xavier or his student, Jean Grey. Viktor is also possible one of the most evil mutants to walk this Earth. He is manipulative and vile - and I'm sure we all agree."

There's a loud of 'mmhhs' and 'yeses' that circle around the room. Bruce just continues to watch me, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Some of you know this, some of you don't," my eyes focus on Bruce. "But I think it's fair that everyone should know. I'm dying - and it is because of Viktor. When I was eighteen, I made the mistake of thinking that Viktor could help me. My mother was a drunk and my father had left us. He promised he would help me fix them."

I take a slightly shaky breath, my eyes now completely avoiding Bruce's. He'e remembering as I talk - he knew about my mother, about my father, but there was nothing he could ever do.

"What I didn't realise, not for many years, even after working for him and running around doing his bidding - was that Viktor was slowly draining me. Not just my ability, but my essence .. my life. I was... his 'first' technically - and I was with him the longest. Thirteen years. Somehow, having him drain me for such a long time - made it so that I have some kind of bond with him now. Even though I managed to escape from him last year, he is still continuing to drain me ever so slowly."

Bruce is still watching me intently. The frown is still etched into his face and he looks slightly unsure.

"I know that doesn't answer everything. There's still a lot to be answered... but I want you to understand that this is the main reason I did what I did... and we'll take in private about the other things that happened. But I will explain it all."

He nods and I can tell that he's struggling to keep his emotions intact. "So I have a few questions. Firstly, why do you have a team? Do you plan on stopping him somehow?"

"Uh," I blanch slightly. "Sort of. I mean, it would be nice if we could stop him - but it seems unlikely. The whole reason we're all here is to... well, to protect someone."

He raises an eyebrow. "Protect?"

"Yes. I told you there's one more of us. She's sleeping." I nod.

"And why does she need to be protected?"

"I'll come to that later. Next question."

"Why am I here?"

"For one... we need you to help us in many ways. We need to find out how to protect ourselves against his draining abilities and if you could help sever my bond, that would be great," I laugh but it sounds strained. "But more importantly, you're his next target."

"What?"

I nod my head grimly. That's the whole reason I stopped being his little slave. For a long time now, I've been running around, doing his bidding - without questioning. Until he said he wanted you, to drain the Hulk from you."

He scoffs. "That doesn't sound so bad."

I shake my head. "I don't know entirely how the Hulk works Bruce, but I don't think he'd be able to drain it as efficiently as he thinks. And since he knows he can't kill you, it's likely he'll force you to 'work' for him."

He shakes his head. "How would he do that?"

"He'd make me do it." I swallow slightly.

"What? How?!"

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Because of this bond between us... he's managed to absorb a large amount of my ability. All he would have to do is touch me and keep a hold of me - a simple command and I would be unable to do much else."

"A little taste of your own medicine, huh?" He states suddenly and the others shift uncomfortably at the sudden obvious tension in the air.

I wet my lips and try to control a sudden annoyance. I deserved that. I know I did. Still stings. I open my mouth but a soft voice interrupts me.

"Ria? Why didn't you wake me to tell me you were having a meeting?" The little girl says, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Bruce turns his head towards the little girl, surprised to see her standing there. He looks back at me, head cocked to the side slightly, a silent question.

I walk over to the little girl and lift her into the air. She clings to me tightly, arms wrapping around my neck as yawns sleepily. I twist so that I can see Bruce.

"Bruce, I'd like you to meet the little girl that Viktor so desperately wants... her name is Avery - and she's my baby sister."


	7. Chapter six

_** Chapter six**_

"Why the hell didn't you ever tell me you had a sister?" Bruce growls, slamming the door with enough force to shake the room.

"As they say, leave the best to last..." I murmur, shrugging my shoulders. The light in the room is dim, flickering occasionally. It's just a store room.

"You should have told me," he growls softly.

"Just calm down, okay?" I sigh. "There's no point in getting worked up over spilled milk."

He scoffs. "This is more than just spilled milk, okay? Yo - you're dying, you have a sister and now there's this bad guy involved? You told me you'd tell me the rest in private. So tell me."

"They're out there waiting for us," I grumble and try to move around him.

Before I can reach the door, he grabs me and pushes me against it. It doesn't hurt but he's more rough than I was expecting. His eyes are beginning to burn brightly.

"Just tell me what the hell happened. All of it."

I nod jerkily and raise a hand to his face. The slight brush of stubble tickles at my palm. "Okay, I'll tell you - but you have to calm down, okay?"

He swallows slowly and with obvious effort. His chest heaves slightly as he nods, his eyes calming - just enough. "Start talking."

I take a deep breath. "Okay, so obviously you remember about my parents, right?"

He nods.

"Okay, so basically, one day I met this guy. He wasn't any older than you and I - but he promised me things. He showed me how powerful of a telepath he was - he told me that he could find my dad and that he could make him love us again," I pause and close my eyes, the sudden memory almost bringing my to tears. "But he made it so I had to do a deal with him."

I take a deep shuddering breath and I have to stop speaking for a moment because the words are like shards of glass sticking not only to the insides of my throat but in my chest as well. I swallow and continue.

"He said that if I followed his instructions directly, that my father would come back and make my mother happy again. It was all I cared about. I mean, I cared about you too but..."

"But not as much."

"It's not as simple as that! He promised me it wouldn't affect you!"

"You know what was the funny part? They actually brought in a telepath to pretty much rip the answers out of me because I wouldn't admit that I did it," he pauses and swallows. "I never would have thought you'd use your power on me."

I can feel the tears swelling now, sitting at the back of my eyes, threatening to pour. "I didn't think anything would happen to you. He told me the authorities would never find out! Obviously I know he lied now - I've known for a long time that he lied. But that doesn't mean things went any different. I believed him at the time."

"So you fed me to the wolves."

"No! I am sorry! He told me he needed the jewel. That it would boost his powers... and it did, you know. It didn't make him amazing or anything, but it made him just that much more powerful."

He pauses, chest heaving as he struggles to control himself. "So let me get this right. You used your damn powers of persuasion to force me to steal a diamond worth millions of dollars, for this bad guy 'Viktor' who fed you crap, caused me countless weeks of questioning and constant stares - not to mention the years that followed of constant questioning... just because you wanted your mom and dad to get back together?"

I shove him backwards. He stumbles back a step.

"You don't understand!" I bark furiously. "Sure I told you sometimes about how bad things were at home - but never the true extent. My mother was a god damn alcoholic - do you even know what that implies? She used to hit me, if I did anything wrong. She once slammed a bottle over my head because she finished it! But you wouldn't remember this because you were on holiday. You came back so damn happy that I didn't want to tell you and ruin your fun! So I kept it in. And I never told you when things got really bad. My mother needed my father. She's not like me - I don't need a man to keep me happy - she did! And without him... our family was nothing."

On the final word, my anger breaks and I let out a small, soft sob. The light decides to flicker out entirely now and we're suddenly plunged into darkness. For a moment, the only sound is my heavy breathing and soft gasps.

His hands suddenly cup my face, surprising me and causing me to let out a soft gasp of surprise.

"Don't cry," he murmurs.

I bite my lip hard. "Why?"

"Because I always hated it when you cried."

His forehead presses against mine as I lie my hands over his arms, holding him close. A warmth emits from him that makes me feel safe and content for the first time in so many years. I close my eyes, my breathing slowly shallowing out.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

He pauses and for a moment, I don't think he's going to reply.

"I won't say it's okay and that I forgive you, because I'd be lying... but I understand what you did and why you did it," he murmurs, his warm breath fanning my lips.

I pull back, away from his warmth and his hands drop. "Thank you."

"Should we go back out?"

I take a deep breath. "Yes."


End file.
